The Dreamer
by GetItOrDon't
Summary: What if you had spent years dreaming about a book series to one day find out the dreams were reality and reality was little more than a dream? Sounds confusing right? Leandra doesn't want to sit back and allow things to go as they ought; if there's a chance for a better future, she wants to go for it. (Warning - You may classify this as a Mary-Sue, but that's a matter of opinion)


**Hey! So this was going to be a bit of a crackfic but then I thought, 'Hmm. I could probably try something with this...' Anyway, I realize it doesn't start out so well and it's a tad confusing (especially at the start) but I'm curious to see how it goes. I don't write things other than papers for school very often (non-fiction is so much easier), so if you see a mistake or something that's unclear - feel free to review and let me know!**

**DISCLAIMER: Rowling's universe is her own and I am just using it to satisfy my desire for almost-creativity.**

CHAPTER 1

Leandra had been living a double life for sixteen years and could hardly believe it was over.

She had always had a vivid imagination. Early on, it revealed itself in strange and fantastic dreams where she could do incredible, impossible things. She hadn't even realized they were dreams until she was told off by her mum for 'playing make-believe' when she was clearly too old for it. So at age seven she stopped talking about her other life – the one her mother thought only existed in dreams.

Despite acting as though she was as normal as any other girl, Leandra secretly reveled in her dreams. The dreams were like a magical reflection of her life. There were mythical creatures and astounding powers combined with all the people and places she was familiar with.

Her parents were the same in both reality and her dreams. The home she lived in was the same, though its dream counterpart had extra rooms, less technology, and a plethora of magical devices. Her mum was just as exacting and her dad still worked long hours away from home. They acted the same, looked the same, but there was one major difference; their dream world counterparts could do _magic._

Even stranger was the fact that if she disregarded the magic, her dream world was just as real as her own. The dreams weren't fuzzy around the edges and time passed at the same rate. The lack of distortion of sight or sound was apparently unusual, if her conversations with her friend Elise were anything to go by.

Leandra was completely aware while in her dream world – there was seemingly no disconnect between her conscious and subconscious minds. She lived both lives equally. The only truly dreamlike dreams she had were when she napped in the daytime. Trying to pull an all-nighter always failed as she'd end up sleeping at least an hour or two; she was apparently incapable of avoiding the dreams.

Regardless of how long she slept, be it two hours or twelve, she would live out her day in the opposite world. As soon as she fell asleep in either world she found herself waking up in the other. It was how she always lived, but it could be stressful. Even though she woke up physically rested, she tended to feel mentally exhausted since she felt as if she were always awake.

Nonetheless, it was all she knew. There were benefits of course. She had regular schooling during the day and at night she had private tutors in her dream world. Kids learn and mature by seeing and experiencing things. For her, it was like she was always twice as old as she looked. Having magical subjects in her dream world didn't mean she didn't have to learn math and writing as well. She ended up receiving an extensive education from two different sources – making it all but impossible for her to be anything but a genius compared to other students.

How was she supposed to explain knowing harder, more complex topics when the truth was that she was learning while she dreamt? If anything, being forced to sit through twice the normal amount of lessons made her realize how lucky other kids were. They could _rest_ while they slept!

In the end, learning both day and night made her smarter and more mature than her peers. She had to take advanced classes in the real world and she had to cover higher level topics in her dream world.

She didn't dare complain to her teachers or her tutors; she didn't want to tell anyone about her weird life. Even if one world wasn't real, she still had to live half her life there. She couldn't explain to her dream parents or her tutors that they weren't real – they wouldn't understand they were only figments of her imagination.

Eventually Leandra just came to terms with it. It had been happening all her life but by the time she was nine she'd given up on finding an answer.

In all other aspects, her life was relatively normal. She argued with her parents, had visits with her cousins, and had a pet cat. She had relatively few friends throughout her younger years but found a best friend in the daughter of her father's colleague. Everything was going well until she turned ten.

Leandra had already gone beyond what those her age were expected to know in both common knowledge and in magical knowledge. In the real world she was merely praised for her intelligence.

In her dream life things were handled differently. Unable to skip grades when she'd learned all that the tutor was qualified to teach, her parents decided to resolve the issue. Despite only learning the magical theories and history in one world and thus not having the same advantage as she did in mundane subjects, she had still progressed too quickly.

Her reading comprehension was high due to learning day or night and she found the study of magic interesting. It was one of the few things she didn't have to repeat over and over as it only existed in her dream world. She threw herself into those studies and thus ended up far too advanced for her age to do anything but seek further schooling.

And that is why, at age ten, her parents started discussing Beauxbatons. That's right, her dream world wasn't even just a product of her own but an imaginary world based off of some fictional story that nearly everyone had read. This only cemented in her mind the fact that her double life was false and the product of overindulging her imagination.

This realization didn't stop the dreams from continuing. The year she entered Beauxbatons was also the same year she finished primary school in the real world. She excelled academically in both her lives and made sure to be friendly and polite to her peers. She lacked close friends and her social life was nearly nonexistent, but most of her fellow students like her well enough. The only thing stopping closer friendships was her unusual maturity and solemn nature – that's not to say she didn't have fun on occasion or laugh at jokes, Leandra was merely uncomfortable with eleven and twelve year olds when she had the maturity of a young adult.

After only two months of schooling her professors realized she wasn't gaining anything from the first year curriculum. The theoretical aspects of her classes she'd already learnt from her family's library and she used her ample free time for her practical work.

Even the fact that classes were in French didn't deter her – her mother and father had taken turns giving her lessons from a very young age in both worlds. Leandra grew so accustomed to speaking in fluent French in her dreams that she astounded her non-magical teachers in the real world when she spoke with no trace of an accent and included slang. Occasionally she'd get confused and respond in the wrong language at one of her schools, but she never revealed why. Even half way into the school year it was still happening so everyone just assumed she either thought in English (at Beauxbatons) or spoke French at home (in reality).

Her tendency to avoid social situations ended up becoming a boon. Her classmates and teachers were the same in both worlds though they spoke different languages, had different names, and occasionally were different species from their counterparts. Some of the pretty, popular girls happened to have veela heritage at Beauxbatons (and yes she had met Fleur Delacoeur once or twice). And it just so happened that her principle in the real world happened to be a _very_ tall woman.

She had always liked reading the books (mostly likely because they reminded her of her other life), but dreaming of Rowling's universe for years was unnerving whenever she gave it much thought. In fact, since she had entered Beauxbatons by the time the seventh and final book came out she chose not to read it. She tried very hard to ignore the connection altogether.

She continued her schooling and at age fourteen she was amongst the sixth years taking the majority of her BUSE exams (the French equivalent of OWLs was taken in the sixth year). She'd done well enough to receive an O in Defense, Charms, Transfiguration, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes. Her lowest grade was an E in Herbology, but she hadn't planned to continue the course anyway.

The year before she'd taken her exams for History, Astronomy, Potions, and the Study of Magical Creatures and received all O's. She'd been confident enough in those courses to take them in her so-called fifth year since she'd completed so much self-study before entering school. She chose to only continue Potions and Magical Creatures to a higher level of those four.

She could admit that it was spectacular by almost everyone's standards to receive all O's but one. In fact, it reminded her of Hermione Granger and how in the books she'd done the same. Of course, Hermione hadn't been thirteen and fourteen when she took her exams, but then Leandra reminded herself that the other girl didn't have the benefit of two lives to make her more mature and experienced. Leandra could quite honestly say she didn't know anyone else who could study while they slept after all.

Regardless of how much praise she received for her scores she couldn't help but feel annoyed by the fact that it wasn't real. It wasn't as though she truly enjoyed studying, but while she was in her dream world she just couldn't help but treat her life there as its own reality. Even so, Leandra continued on as she was and started studying for her end of term exams in the real world while simultaneously preparing for her ASPICs.

Had she not been so accustomed to holding extra knowledge and learning twice as much as she ought – Leandra surely would have suffered a mental breakdown in her final year of magical schooling. Instead she chose to self-study for most classes (she was oh so very thankful that she'd been years ahead so it was more a review than anything else).

Her final exams in both realities were, thankfully, not overlapping and she completed her non-magical exams first. Having those out of the way meant she could relax in the real world and mentally review until it was time to go to sleep and wake up to take the magical exams in her dreams. In the end, she felt confident that both her lives would work out with how great she felt towards all of her exams.

That happy and relaxed feeling actually led her to pick up the final Harry Potter book she'd been avoiding. While in her dream world she'd heard about the Triwizard Tournament – it just so happened to play out over the course of her final year – Leandra hadn't gone. She was too young to consider entering for one; mainly though, Leandra didn't want to make any more connections to the book series than she had to. Telling herself that half her life wasn't real was hard enough; she didn't want to face the truth any more than she had to.

Unfortunately, she realized she needed to know how closely her dreams were actually connected to the books. She had no way to confirm what was going on in England during Harry Potter's first three years since her parents had insisted on Beauxbatons (her father's alma mater). This year however, she knew she'd be able to confirm how closely her dreams were related to Rowling's story.

In light of this she threw her reservations to the wind and started reading the seventh book while waiting for the Third Task to begin. She felt almost guilty for not warning anyone, but she was still in France after graduating on June 15th – she planned on staying with Elise for a week or two as a vacation of sorts before searching for a job. What's more, she didn't want to have to explain _how _she knew. It was possible she'd make things worse or sound crazy if things didn't go the way she believed they would.

Most of her time was spent relaxing and decompressing after all the exams. She read HP and the Deathly Hallows slowly, almost dreading what would happen to her dream world. It wasn't until the June 24th in the real world that she finished it. Glad that there was a happy ending but terrified at the thought of all the death and destruction in Britain, Leandra watched the clock in anticipation. When she woke up in the magical world it would be the day of the Third Task and quite possibly, the day Lord Voldemort returned.

HP

HP

It had happened. She really _was_ dreaming of the world of Harry Potter according to the books. Three days had passed since the end of the Triwizard Tournament and the death of Cedric Diggory. In those three days she'd returned to Britain and rented a flat on the South side of Diagon Alley. She had another three days before her ASPIC results were released and until then she couldn't apply for any work.

The guilt over a teenage boy's death and the deaths that would come from Voldemort's return were eating at her. No matter how many times she told herself it wasn't real and that there was nothing she could have done anyway the guilt continued to gnaw at her insides. She felt terrible about it and hardly had the energy to eat, let alone explore the alley she'd so infrequently visited over the years.

The absolute worst aspect of it all was that the dream hadn't ended in the three days since the 24th. It was now June 27th in the magical world and while she slept she did not return to reality. Leandra hadn't realized how much she relied on and expected the daily transition. Without it, she felt like she was losing her mind.

The night before, she'd decided if she didn't return that very night she would tell someone everything – from the dreams to the books, she truly meant everything. Now the three days were up and she'd yet to wake up in the real world. Three nights where she slept, but only faced darkness.

In light of her predicament, Leandra had contacted the only person she was sure would try to help her without condemning her or telling others. She would have gone to Elise, who'd been her best friend since she was six, but no matter how much she loved the girl Leandra was under no delusions. Elise was shallow and judgmental at the best of times and downright awful at dealing with serious problems.

No, she'd gone to her great-aunt Beth.

The woman was callous and pretended to be senile when annoyed with someone, but she was dead clever and could be discreet when she had to be. It didn't matter to Leandra that the old woman probably couldn't help; she desperately needed to tell someone, anyone, so that she wouldn't implode.

So she was sitting at the rickety table in the tiny kitchen, glaring at the clock on the wall to reach two. She'd floo-called early in the morning and had been told by the house elf, Tipsy, that her mistress would be willing to host a visit in the early afternoon at two o'clock. It was one at the moment, but for Leandra it felt as though the visit was ages away.

She tapped her fingers on the tabletop, too nervous to eat at the moment. Her cat, Nic, short for Arsenic, wound his way around her ankles in an attempt to calm her. She hummed songs to herself, listed potions ingredients in her head, and finally got up to clean when she saw not even thirty minutes had passed. In the end, she left for the floo in the lobby twenty minutes early.

If her great-aunt didn't like it, she could just deal – Leandra had to leave right then or she would've resorted to demolishing the flat.

HP

HP

Elizabeth Drakos was both irritated and amused when her great-niece came barreling through the floo twenty minutes too early. Though those feelings switched over to concern fairly quickly when she saw the state Leandra was in. The poor girl's hair was in disarray, her skin was a sickly grey, and the normally dark blue eyes were bloodshot.

"Well come in then if you can't wait," barked Beth. She knew when someone needed her kindness and this was not one of those times. Even to her failing eyes Leandra looked like death warmed over.

"Yeah – right," agreed Leandra as Beth led her to the drawing room. She sat the teen down on a plush sofa and called Tipsy to pour tea for them both as Leandra visible gathered herself.

When ten minutes had passed Beth could no longer wait patiently for the girl to speak. Every time Leandra went to open her mouth she'd close it and study the sage green walls with interest, avoiding her aunt's eyes.

"Out with it girl I haven't got all day!" cried Beth. She almost regretted her outburst when she saw her nieces startled and hurt expression, but Leandra steeled herself and said the last thing Beth had been expecting.

"You're not real! None of this," the teen waved her arms around frantically, "is real!"

Beth raised a perfectly sculpted grey brow. "You'd best start at the beginning."

HP

HP

Leandra tried not to squirm in her seat too noticeably as her great-aunt studied her with the same blank stare she'd maintained throughout Leandra's lengthy explanation. The silence dragged on and she contemplated obliviating the old woman before she could call in the mind-healers.

The girl was fingering her wand when Beth finally broke the silence. All thoughts of casting _anything _flew from her mind when the batty old woman started to cackle, madly.

"Er – Aunt Beth?" '_She thinks I've gone round the bend! What am I supposed to do?' _The laughter continued. '_Oh dear, I think I've broken her…'_

"S-Sorry," chuckled Beth. "It's just, well, you'll have such a laugh when I explain things to you!"

"What _are_ you talking about?" Beth only held up a finger as she finished shaking with mirth.

"I'm going to ask for your word that you'll listen and let me finish explaining everything to you before speaking. I don't want a peep out of you until I'm done. Is that clear?" Leandra nodded hesitantly, unsure as to what to expect.

"There are many talents that witches and wizards can boast of. The ones that they're born with are the often the most unusual or potent gifts. Our family, in particular, has a tendency to produce minor seers and clairvoyants," Leandra opened her mouth to protest – she wasn't seeing the future, she was from another world where this one was a story – but Beth gave her such a glare that her jaw snapped shut with a click.

"Of all the seers we've produced, we've never once had a single one who's had visions."

"But I thought–"

"_Don't interrupt!_" snapped Beth in exasperation. Leandra squeaked out a tiny "Sorry!" and tried not to twitch under Beth's skeptical look.

"As I was saying," the aged woman continued. "Our family's seers don't have visions – they have dreams. My mother, your great-grandmother, had the gift, though she never saw anything of great importance. My brother had the gift as well. Usually, when someone's dreams begin they tell a family member about them, even if they don't grasp the connection between the dreams and the future. When that happens they're told about their gift and how it's up to them to interpret the dreams.

"According to you, you've never told anyone – which is why you're having this problem silly girl! The dreams come in different forms to each seer. My poor brother went to bed every night and watched both World Wars and Grindelwald's campaign unfold through a series of plays he watched. From what you've said I can tell your gift is manifesting itself through the books you read in your dreams. I'm assuming they've stopped because you've finally finished reading all the books."

"Wait," said Leandra. "So I'm supposed to believe that all this time I've been treating the real world like a dream while what I thought was reality is actually just a side-effect of being a seer of some sort?" '_And wasn't that just the most confusing thing I've ever said aloud?'_ "Why didn't I know about this if it's supposedly something passed down through the family?"

Beth sighed. "It's tradition to tell the seer when they first start having the dreams and everyone else when they reach their majority. Your mother was planning on telling you early, as you've already graduated. Originally she was going to tell you when your emancipation was finalized, but I convinced her to wait in case you happened to be gifted – it's unusual to have the gift manifest so late in adolescence, but I held out hope. Had we known you've had the gift all along we would have told you sooner."

Leandra gave a hysterical half-sob, half-laugh. "I can't believe this. I can't. There's no way that those were dreams – I lived there, went to classes there, and learned of things that no witches or wizards could know!" Had she known that studying physics was all for naught she wouldn't have bothered. Even as she sat with her aunt trying to entertain the idea that the assumptions and beliefs she'd had for years were suddenly false, she could scarcely comprehend the implications.

"Everything I've gone through in that world - you're saying it's all been for nothing?" Leandra's eyes were already filling with tears by the time Beth reached over to slap her.

"Get a hold of yourself! Yes, I understand this is all very confusing, but did you really think your life here was just a dream?" asked Beth.

Leandra paused and tried to be honest, truly honest, with herself. "Well… No, I guess I didn't. Both always felt so real, too real. When I was here I felt like there was no way it could just be a dream and I felt the same way when I was _there_."

"It's alright that you feel that way. In a sense, both this world and your dreams were real. For all we know you could have been dreaming of the way life would be for you if our family were not magical."

"What do you mean?"

Beth's eyes unfocused as she thought. "From what I read in my mother's journals she thought the dreams were unusually realistic as well. Hers didn't start until she was twelve, so she was never confused about which was reality, but she said it was just like her life minus anything to do with the future she was 'seeing.'

"Of course, she hardly ever had the dreams. When she did have them they were about marriages and births. Apparently, in the dreams, the people in question didn't exist at all – her grandmother would relate stories to her about people with the same names. Then she'd wake up and the stories would come true."

"Why her grandmother?"

"Well, her grandmother was fond of telling stories. So when her dreams started that's how she got the information. My brother was always fond of watching plays – he wanted to be an actor as a child – so he watched the future play out that way. You must enjoy reading enough that your gift manifested itself through a book series."

"So you're saying I'm muggle in the dreams because the future I see has to do with the entire magical world?"

"At least all aspects of it you're familiar with," agreed Beth.

"I suppose it's not any less crazy than anything else in my life," muttered Leandra resentfully. "But I'm not in the books at all, how do I know what I read is the future if I'm not even included?"

"What you read about is the future that will come to pass without your interference."

"My interference?" Leandra had the feeling that she wouldn't like what Beth was going to say next.

"Yes, your interference. The seers in our family have never registered with any government to date. The dreams only cover major events in the seer's lifetime, nothing further. They also show only the future the way it would be if there is no action taken. For example, when my brother's dreams finally started coming true, he chose to do nothing because the future he saw turned out for the best – he didn't want to jeopardize that.

"For the rest, while we caution the seers in our family to make only small changes and stick to the shadows, they often succeed in altering events to suit their tastes." Beth paused and moved to take Leandra's hand in her own. "You don't have to do anything about these dreams or the future. Just because you see things doesn't mean it's your responsibility. If you do choose to step in, know that I will support you no matter what."

Leandra turned her gaze upon the cold tea on the table before her as she prepared to answer. "Things turn out alright in the end," said Leandra tentatively. "I don't know if I can live with that though. Before, I was treating this world and the people in it as a story and its characters. Now, when I know that the things I read about are real, that these terrible things and deaths will happen to real people who haven't yet left school I-I…" she cleared her throat and began again. "I want to change things."

"And that is your decision to make," agreed Beth. "Just know that once you make even the smallest of changes, everything you saw, everything you think you know, will become null and void. For the seers in our family, the future is truly what they make of it."

"Of course," said Leandra with a solemn nod. "It's just, how do I go about changing things? Where do I start?"

Beth gave a predatory grin. "I was hoping you'd ask."

HP

HP

"Alright, no going back now. I've made my decision and I'll stick to it," muttered Leandra to herself as she entered the Hog's Head Inn. She had to fight back a hysterical laugh as she thought about Trelawney's interview and the prophecy that resulted.

'_Thank god I'm only a dream seer, poor Dumbledore would probably hate to deal with another prophetess._' She wondered what he would say if yet another interviewee for a job shattered what he knew of the future with a few words.

After she'd talked with Beth and gone over all the details she'd missed the first time (which had taken another visit the next day), the two had started discussing small things they could do to make big changes.

What shocked her great-aunt the most were the horcruxes. Sure, the fact that You-Know-Who was back terrified her, but the extent to which he'd gone for immortality was even more horrifying. Both agreed that to start eliminating them now and subsequently relieving Harry Potter's burden was best.

Aside from that, Leandra wanted to focus on reducing the Ministry's hold on Hogwarts. What happened to the school and the children in the final book was something she desperately wanted to prevent. In the end, it was Beth who'd come up with the idea to oust Umbridge before she could start.

"You've graduated haven't you?" Beth had demanded the day after Leandra's ASPIC results had come out.

"Yes, but –"

"And you did well enough to get any job you want?"

"I suppose, but –"

"_And_ you're already emancipated and legally an adult in the eyes of all European ministries?"

"Yeah, but I –"

"Then it's settled! You'll apply for the post. You're the one who told me she was hired because no one else wanted the job aside from that Snape fellow. We both know why Dumbledore refuses to allow him to take it this soon. It's the perfect opportunity for you to interfere with minimal suspicion!"

"I'm not going to change your mind am I?"

"I should think not," sniffed Beth.

And that was that.

So here she was, sitting in a private room at the Hog's Head Inn waiting for Albus Dumbledore himself. She wondered if he would refuse her the job simply for her young age or if he was already desperate enough by this point to take anyone over who the ministry would appoint.

If he said no, she'd have to come up with an entirely new plan. Trying hard not to think about all the horrible ways the upcoming interview could go Leandra schooled her features into impassive expression and mentally reviewed the arguments and reasoning she'd come with.

She'd just gotten to the part where she pulled out all four of her most impressive recommendations when she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," she called. A moment later a tall man in sweeping navy-blue robes strode in. As he neared her, she noticed tiny purple swirls in the fabric. She wasn't sure if it was magic or a trick of the light, but it appeared as though the swirls were spinning.

"Ah Miss Argent, it's a pleasure to meet you." He beamed at her and held out his hand to shake hers. Swallowing nervously, Leandra tore her eyes from his fascinating robes and reached out to give the old man a firm handshake.

"The pleasure is all mine Headmaster Dumbledore. Please, have a seat." She thanked her lucky stars that she'd been too distracted before he came to get too nervous, otherwise she was sure her hand would be sweaty.

For all her supposed genius and young age, even she had not won the same number of awards as the man in front of her had in his youth. Add to that all he'd done since then and he made an imposing and impressive figure.

"I'm sorry you had to wait for me, it's been an eventful year so far and I find myself with too little time on my hands."

Leandra waved him off. "I understand. With everything that's happened I imagine people are looking to you now more than ever." He nodded his thanks and leveled her with his piercing blue eyes.

"Shall we get on with it then, Miss Argent," asked Dumbledore politely.

"Of course sir. I trust you received the forms I sent you?"

"I did," said Dumbledore. "I must say, it was very well organized and exceptionally thorough." She smiled in thanks and he continued. "There is no doubt that you are very qualified for this job, in fact, you seem to be overqualified. May I ask why you've chosen to apply for a job that has a history of being brief and unrewarding?"

"It's really quite simple sir. You see, I originally planned on going into professional warding after school and I've received a few offers, but I had an epiphany of sorts recently."

"Oh?" inquired Dumbledore politely.

"I looked into my job options and learned that there would be very little challenge in such a choice. Most warders are called in to set minor wards and protections around properties. There are very few jobs where extensive warding is required. Most either don't need it or cannot realistically afford it. I didn't want to spend my life doing something as mundane as standard household wards."

There, she said her first half-truth. While everything she'd said about not being challenged was true, she hadn't actually cared about that before her decision to change things. She had been relatively satisfied with an easy, if boring, job for the foreseeable future.

"I thought about curse breaking, but I really don't want to be away from home for such extended periods of time and traveling back and forth for every job would be much too tiring." She looked up to see Dumbledore nodding along and gave him a sheepish smile as she continued. "I would have signed on with the goblins for warding here in England, but very few high security vaults are opened or updated each year and they prefer it if the warder they use has worked for them as a curse breaker (as the two often go hand in hand) for a few years.

"It had always been my plan to become a teacher later on in my life, so when my great-aunt suggested I try for the Defense post I agreed. This way, I get experience teaching and can sign on as a curse breaker in the summer. I don't mind traveling away from home if it's only for the summer months." _'At least that's the truth.'_

"I can see you've thought this through," chuckled the aging Headmaster. "Tell me, are you aware of the supposed jinx on the position?"

"Yes actually," admitted Leandra. "It was part of what caught my interest. I've been studying obscure curses and jinxes ever since I started sneaking into my parents' private library when I was a little girl. If there is a jinx, I'd like to study and try my hand at removing it. If I fail to remove it, I plan on resigning after the last exams finish. From what I've heard, so long as I leave the post before the end of term I'll be spared anything too terrible."

Another half-truth. She had been studying curses for years and she did plan on trying to remove it, but it was actually one of the arguments she'd brought up to Beth _against_ applying for the post.

"What a marvelous attitude," said Dumbledore with twinkling eyes. "May I ask why you applied here rather than Beauxbatons?"

Leandra was prepared for this question. "Well, I actually thought the Defense post was the best way to start out. Even if I don't lose the job to the jinx, no one would think twice about me only staying a year if I find teaching not suited to my tastes. If I do stay, Hogwarts is both a prestigious school and closer to my immediate family.

"I couldn't start out at Beauxbatons so soon anyway since many of the students would remember me as a peer, rather than look to me as a teacher. All in all, from my viewpoint, this seems to be my best option."

"You have a very organized mind. I daresay you would have been a Ravenclaw had you come to Hogwarts." He folded his hands on the table between them and lost some of his playful demeanor. "How do you plan on dealing with the lack of age difference and any disrespect that may come of it?"

She swallowed and steeled herself; this was the most prominent reason why she would be refused the job. "As you know, from the paperwork I sent you, I graduated from Beauxbatons in six years rather than seven and I received high scores on both my BUSE and ASPIC exams – especially pertaining to Defense Against the Dark Arts. As I had already entered school early this left me to graduate at barely sixteen, rather than eighteen.

"I do not plan on advertising my age, nor do I plan on hiding it. Ideally, it will not be addressed aside from the casual mention of my youthful appearance." Dumbledore smiled at the almost-joke. "Aside from that, I am extremely qualified and have tutored school age children throughout my years at Beauxbatons. I've been told that I act much older than my age and truthfully, I've always had trouble relating to my peers.

"I think it is likely my attitude will aid me in distancing myself from the student body. I'll dress professionally and avoid forming close relationships with students so I can remain an authority and command respect."

"Excellent answer Miss Argent! Shall we begin discussing the terms of your contract?"

Leandra blinked and her jaw dropped in surprise. "Really?" Dumbledore raised a brow and she blushed. "I mean – Yes! Of course!"

HP

HP

After her meeting with Dumbledore Leandra almost felt grateful towards all the poor excuses for Defense teachers that had lowered standards enough for her to seem like a godsend to a desperate Albus Dumbledore – then she remembered that three of the last four had attacked students and felt a lot less grateful.

She started to resent her predecessors when days after acquiring the Defense Against the Dark Arts post Leandra found herself forced into a meeting with one Dolores J. Umbridge. Suffice to say, it was not a pleasant experience.

She'd had to use every ounce of her considerable acting skills to get through the meeting without hexing or physically assaulting the toad-like woman. She'd even worn a pale pink blouse knowing it was supposed to be the woman's favorite color.

Leandra made sure to arrive five minutes early and schooled her features into a calm, pleasant smile before she knocked on Umbridge's office door. A girlish, "Come in!" later and she stepped into the room with much trepidation.

It was all Leandra could do to keep a straight face. The undersecretary to the Minister was a stout woman with overly broad facial features and bulging eyes. All in all she was an ugly woman with poor taste in clothes. Leandra noticed belatedly that while the book's descriptions seemed to be accurate, the movies they'd gone along with were not.

She hadn't noticed with Dumbledore as she'd been too busy worrying about the interview, but the actors she remembered from the dreams were definitely different people. She supposed she could dream of future events, but her gift didn't extend to seeing them. _'At least I won't recognize people before I meet them,' _she'd thought amusedly.

Umbridge wore a blindingly pink dress under an equally atrocious pink robe. Never had the teen seen so many frills on someone over the age of six – it was a little unsettling.

"Miss Argent! Please come in," giggled Umbridge in her childish voice. "You can take a seat right over here." The toad gestured to a straight-backed wooden chair across from her desk and Leandra sat.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Madam Umbridge," greeted Leandra politely.

"You as well Miss Argent," said Umbridge with a sickly sweet smile on her face. "I'm sure you're curious as to why you were invited here to day?" _'Ordered more like,'_ though Leandra, but she nodded nonetheless. "We called you here today to discuss your new position as a Hogwarts professor"

"Is that so," replied Leandra neutrally.

Umbridge nodded and leaned back in the plush armchair behind her desk. "Yes. While the British Ministry acknowledges Beauxbatons as a fairly respectable institution, the minister and I would hate to put our youths at a disadvantage by placing them under a professor unfamiliar with teaching."

"I completely understand," said Leandra sympathetically. "I realize I must seem very young and inexperienced, but I can assure you I'm one of the best Beauxbatons has seen in years.

"Besides," sniffed Leandra. "I believe it is Hogwarts that has failed to perform up to standards recently. I mean, look at the Defense professors before myself! And the Triwizard Tournament was not an accurate assessment of the schools' strengths – there was an escaped convict interfering with the tasks!"

"You're quite right about the falling standards," agreed Umbridge with an odd glint in her eye. "Though I am curious as to how you can be qualified to teach when you've yet to reach your majority."

"I was emancipated last December," said the teen breezily. "I've always been quite advanced academically. As I was set to graduate and already mature enough to live on my own and support myself, I saw no reason not to. I've finished my schooling and had the trace removed. I have more awards to my name in six years than most wizards receive in a lifetime. Quite honestly, I think I'm a fair bit more qualified than half the professors Dumbledore has hired in the past decade or so."

She was carefully phrasing everything she said so that, while it was not a lie, it could be interpreted as disapproval towards Dumbledore and Hogwarts in general. She might come off as a French snob (if you disregarded the fact that she lived in Britain and her mother's side of the family was British), but she figured it would be worth it to keep the ministry off her back.

"Of course you are dear." _Oh god!_ Leandra fought back a shudder as the high pitched, girlish voice grated on her eardrums.

"While we do not mean to doubt your skill, the Minister and I would like to ensure the students of Hogwarts receive a satisfactory education according to the standards of our Ministry. We have no doubt you're quite skilled for a French witch, but you are unaccustomed to the ways of British schooling and may not teach them the things they'd need to know for our examinations."

Leandra only raised a brow in response before replying. "I assure you, despite what you may have been led to believe, Beauxbatons provides an extensive education to all its students. As for the differences between the two institutions and nations, I plan to review and prepare courses based off of past exams and I've already contacted Griselda Marchbanks for more information regarding British testing and expectations."

Umbridge sighed dramatically. "If you're sure you can handle it Miss Argent, I'll say no more on the matter. Though I do wish to inform you that should you wish decline the post, the minister and I have discussed it and I would be willing to take up the post if it is unclaimed by the start of term. Hogwarts needs a guiding hand now more than ever; it would be very convenient for us if I were to take the position instead and provide that guiding hand."

"I'm sure it would be," said the teen a bit frostily. "But I am quite satisfied with my new situation. I have no doubt you'll be able to 'guide' the school even without holding the Defense position."

"You're quite right." Umbridge had apparently missed the thinly veiled sarcasm. "I suppose I'll just ask Cornelius to have the governors to sign for an additional post to be established…" she trailed off but Leandra though she might have heard a mutter sounding suspiciously like 'High Inquisitor.'

Abruptly the older woman called an end to their meeting, but not before assuring the young soon-to-be teacher that she looked forward to working with her over the course of the school year. Leandra found it extraordinarily difficult to remain polite and feign enthusiasm at the prospect.

Two days later she received an owl with a note and a parcel.

Miss Argent,

In light of your new profession I've sent you a book I think will prove most useful. I recommend you consider it as your course book for the upper years this upcoming term.

Enjoy the remainder of your summer!

Dolores J. Umbridge

Leandra unwrapped the plain brown paper and found Wilbert Slinkhard's _Defensive Magical Theory_. She snorted and levitated the book before sending it up in flame with a muttered "_Incendio_"_._

There was no conceivable way she would use such a useless book as a textbook for students who were going to take exams that decided their future careers. In any case, she'd chosen a book based off of a suggestion sent by Griselda Marchbanks the day before.

_Defensive Magic and Its Applications _by David Greene, a respected muggle-born author and researcher, was simple yet effective. It had to be since she was dealing with students who had a spotty education at best.

She knew that Umbridge would limit her teaching capabilities in any practical aspects and perhaps even in theory, but she hoped the students would be able to use the books to guide them when they formed the DA. That is, if they formed the DA, but she had plans in place to ensure its existence.

Leandra summoned a piece of parchment from her desk and scrawled a quick note to Umbridge mentioning she'd already chosen a textbook but that she appreciated the gesture nonetheless. The barn owl that'd brought the book and note gave a friendly screech and dove through the open window almost as soon as it had the parchment in its beak.

Nic meowed from under the kitchen table and the teen laughed. "Yeah, impatient little guy wasn't he? Umbridge probably torments the poor thing for tardiness." She cleaned and put away her breakfast dishes before moving out of the kitchen and entering the tiny office beside her bedroom, Arsenic right on her heels.

She sat down at the desk and pulled out her lesson plans. It was difficult to devise such things when she had hardly any idea what any of her predecessors had covered. She already knew she'd be spending nearly all of September sorting out what the students did and didn't know. Regardless, she had set up basic guidelines for each year.

Years one and two were the easiest as she knew she could start with a basic introduction to the course followed by very minor jinxes. She'd cover the basics of duels but overall the eleven and twelve year olds would cover mainly theory and the usage of Dark Arts through history.

Third years would be low-level "dark" creatures and how to defend against them. They would also cover the more standard jinxes as well as the simplest counter-jinxes. Fourth years would cover the effects of curses (including unforgiveables), moderate to dangerous dark creatures, and more advanced counter-jinxes. If she could, she planned on having them try out shields as well.

Fifth years, which happened to be where Harry Potter and friends were, would be the most challenging. After a brief review of the previous four years she was planning on introducing the truly offensive charms and jinxes and their defenses. They'd move on towards practical dueling by the end of the year. It didn't sound so bad, but Leandra wondered if it would be possible with Umbridge bearing down on her.

Sixth and seventh years would be fine once all the review was out of the way. She was looking forward to teaching those students. They'd cover the basics of warding and curse-breaking, silent spell casting, dangerous curses and counter-curses, as well as no-holds dueling to increase spell repertoire.

It was only June 22nd so far and Leandra had plenty of time left to make any corrections she needed. With that being the case Leandra's thoughts turned to the Dementor attack that was to take place in a little less than two weeks. As far as she could tell, there was no conceivable way to warn Dumbledore or prevent it from happening. In any case, she worried what Umbridge would be driven to if Harry did not perform magic or was not present to eliminate the threat before muggles were assaulted.

She sighed heavily and absent mindedly lifted Nic so she could run her fingers through his steely grey and black striped fur. "This is going to be a long year," muttered Leandra.

The cat in her arms only purred in response.

HP

HP

It was the start of term feast at last and Leandra was seemingly calm and unreadable. She thanked her lucky stars she was not in the habit of expressing her emotions for everyone to see.

She had exchanged formal greetings with the rest of staff at the start-of-term meeting the day previous and had finished setting up her office in the interim time. Now, all she had to do was smile and nod when Dumbledore introduced her, then eat and chat with the professors around her for the duration of the feast.

Thankfully, Umbridge and Fudge had yet to gain the governors' approval for a High Inquisitor, but Leandra knew it was only a matter of time.

One thing the young professor could not deny was the sheer magnificence of Hogwarts. While Beauxbatons was a beautiful palace with stylish décor, Hogwarts castle was unbelievable large and had its own charm. The Great Hall was especially impressive, she thought, as she watched students and ghosts flit about before settling down under an inky black sky filled with floating candles.

At long last silence descended and Minerva McGonagall led a group of 60-70 scared looking first years to the front where the Sorting Hat sat on a wooden stool. Leandra listened interestedly to the ominous song and steadfastly ignored the whispers that broke out afterwards.

Soon enough the sorting had begun. It lasted nearly an hour before the final girl, Rose Zeller, made her way to the Hufflepuff table. Dumbledore then stood and had barely spoken two sentences of welcome before sitting back down as food appeared as if from thin air.

Leandra was sitting between on Dumbledore's left-hand side while Mcgonagall moved to take the seat to his right. "You're Leandra Argent correct?" Leandra turned to her left to face Pomona Sprout's bright smile.

"I am," said Leandra with a polite nod. "I take it you're Professor Sprout?"

"Please call me Pomona! As a fellow professor it's only fair." Sprout was a slightly portly woman with light brown curls streaked with silver and shining dark eyes. Her skin was tan with a healthy flush, evidence of all the time she spent outdoors.

"Thank you. You'll have to call me Leandra then. If you don't mind me asking, where were you during the start-of-term meeting? I think you're the only professor I've yet to properly meet."

"Oh," chuckled Sprout, "I had to deal with a rather stubborn patch of Devil's Snare. It was trying to take over greenhouse three!"

"That could've gone badly," said Leandra. "I take it you got things settled then?"

"Oh yes," nodded Sprout. "I managed to save the other plants in time. Mind you, it took ages to get the Devil's Snare back without completely destroying it! It was one of those times I really wished I had a student on hand to help."

"Of course," Leandra said seriously, "Where would we be without students to do our bidding? Merely hint at providing a little credit and you've got all the free labor you could ask for!"

Sprout laughed. "You saw right through me! I'm assuming it's the same at Beauxbatons?"

"Most definitely," said Leandra. "We had it down to an art form. My transfiguration teacher had a different helper for every day of the week. They did all his grunt work in exchange for tutoring sessions. I don't think he graded a single essay all last year!"

"Pardon me," said Flitwick piped in from Sprout's other side, "Did you say he didn't grade your essays? How did you prepare for your exams? Student helpers are alright, but surely they won't catch everything the professor would?"

"Too true," agreed Leandra. "He did give them guidelines to grade by, but he wasn't the best teacher. His lectures were a bit lacking and he wasn't very invested. Last I heard they were going to fire him before this school year."

"How did the students in their testing years cope with that?" Sprout asked.

"Well, I'm pretty sure they self-studied. I did that and, in turn, I went and tutored quite a few students in my year and the years below me."

"You know," said Flitwick. "I don't mean to be rude, but are you the same girl known as the warding prodigy in France? I've heard so many stories about a French witch who graduated early and made such waves in France's magical community. Then you come along and Albus mentions your age and the fact that you're from Beauxbatons…"

"They're still calling me that?" asked Leandra in surprise. "Honestly, they make it a bigger deal than it is. I am the same witch, but I'm hardly a warding prodigy. They only say that because most don't start studying and creating wards until they're much older."

"Nonsense," insisted Flitwick. "Being good when you're young is impressive in its own right. Just imagine how much better you'll get in your lifetime!"

"He's right you know," said Sprout. "But enough about that. Are you looking forward to this year? Got all your lesson plans ready?"

"Yeah, I am and I do. I went over the lesson plans with the headmaster already. I can't be sure, but he seemed pleased enough."

"I'm sure you'll do wonderfully," said Flitwick. "Of course, if you ever need help or advice feel free to come to one of us. We'd be happy to assist you."

"Or any of the other professors," agreed Sprout. "Everyone's really quite friendly here. Though I wouldn't recommend going to Severus."

"He's the Potions professor," added Flitwick. "He's very busy most of the time and doesn't like to be bothered."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you," said Leandra gratefully.

The rest of the meal was more of the same. She chatted with the two heads of houses, spoke a little with Dumbledore, and slowly made her way through the heavy meal. By the time Dumbledore stood to speak she was positively sleepy.

He made the expected announcements regarding the forest and Mr. Filch before addressing what the students were really interested in.

"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Argent from France, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Applause followed and Leandra scowled lightly when she heard catcalls from two identical redheads at the Gryffindor table. She steadfastly avoided searching out Harry Potter or his friends. She wanted to remain an objective teacher and work only from the shadows, like her aunt had suggested.

The rest of the speech was brief and Leandra was quite relieved when the students started filing out. Before Dumbledore had the chance to leave the Great Hall she stepped up to him.

"Excuse me Headmaster?" she asked.

"Yes, Leandra?"

"I'd just like to mention that I've been receiving quite a bit of mail from a Dolores Umbridge at the Ministry. She's asked that I report to her on any suspicious behavior you show. I don't plan on doing so, because I think the British Ministry has been out of line recently, but I thought I'd warn you all the same. It seems to me they're desperate to discredit you regarding the incident from June."

"I see," said Dumbledore. "Thank you for the warning. If you don't mind me asking, what is your opinion on the events that occurred? Do not feel obligated to answer a certain way or at all if you do not wish to."

"I don't mind," said Leandra honestly. She already knew Voldemort was back; she knew Dumbledore was in the right. "Though I was not there," she began. "I do not think you would announce Vol-" she saw his raised brow and corrected herself. "_You-Know-Who's _return if you did not have sufficient proof. I've always heard great things about you and I hardly think it likely that you lost your mind between one day and the next."

"Thank you for sharing your opinion. I must admit, it's nice to hear that not everyone considers me a senile fool." He smiled kindly at her.

She smiled back at him and bid him good night. She then took off for her quarters on the third floor. Once outside the door to her office she unlocked it with a quick spell and made her way to the door at the back leading to her bedroom.

She couldn't wait to crawl into bed and forget about her problems for a few hours. Sleep was so much more appealing now that she had regular dreams through the nights.

"Mistress Lea!" Leandra nearly jumped out of her skin when the squeaky voice broke the silence.

"Tizzy! What are you doing here?" Before her stood a tiny female elf she remembered from her childhood. Tizzy had been with Tipsy and her great-aunt Beth for as long as she could remember.

"I is comin' to work for yous now!" she announced excitedly.

"What about Aunt Beth?"

"Mistress Beth says she only needs one elf so she sent Tizzy for Mistress Lea," said the waist high servant.

"But I – Oh never mind," sighed Leandra. "I'll owl Beth in the morning. You can join the Hogwarts elves for now Tizzy. I'll call for you when I need something."

"Yes Mistress!" With a loud crack Tizzy disappeared, leaving Leandra to flop tiredly onto her bed.

Thoughts of classes the next day, dealing with her Aunt, and planning for the future were pushed from her head with a monumental effort.

"It can wait 'til morning," she groaned as her head hit the pillow. Before a minute had passed Leandra was fast asleep.

**A/N - So basically this story will be OC-centric about a girl who's been confused as to which of her lives is real. Rather than have her go insane, she's going to hesitantly take things in stride and try to fix what she'd always assumed was a fictional universe. No, I don't care if she ends up a Mary-Sue character, it's my story and I'll write what I want! Haha I'll try to avoid being ridiculous, but she is going to be intelligent and talented magically. Don't expect some weird insane goddess-like character though.**

**Brevet Universal de Sorcellerie Élementaire **(BUSE) - Sixth Year Exams, comparable to OWLs

**Accumulation**_**de Sorcellerie Partiuclièrement Intensive et Contraignante **_(ASPIC) - Seventh Year Exams, comparable to NEWTs

- both exams are taken from the French translations of the HP books


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